Steve McCabe MP met Cancer Research UK-funded scientists in Birmingham last week to learn about their life-saving work.
Steve witnessed ground-breaking research at the Institute of Cancer & Genomic Sciences at the University of Birmingham, where researchers funded by the charity are helping to ensure more children and adults survive the disease.
During the visit, Steve learnt about the Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit which works on trials across a wide range of cancers, including breast, lung, skin, sarcoma, blood cancers and head and neck cancers.
The charity also funds a Children’s Cancer Trials team at the University – the only one of its kind in the UK – putting Birmingham at the forefront of children’s cancer research. The team coordinates ground-breaking clinical trials at centres across the country, including Birmingham Children’s Hospital, making innovative new treatments available to children with cancer. Every day, around 85 people are diagnosed with cancer in the region.
The visit also included a tour of the labs with Dr Andrew Beggs, where Steve heard more about new research into bowel cancer.
Stevesaid:
“Cancer has a devastating impact on families in my constituency and across the country so it was great to hear about the progress Cancer Research UK is making in the fight against the disease right here on our doorstep.
“The time in the labs highlighted why it is so important to support the vital research that
benefits thousands of people affected by cancer not just in the West Midlands but across the UK”.
Last year, Cancer Research UK spent over £9 million on pioneering research in the region.
Professor Pam Kearns, Director of the Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit, and host for the visit said:
“Birmingham is on the frontline in the fight against cancer with hundreds of scientists, doctors and nurses striving every day to find better, more effective and kinder ways to treat this devastating disease.
“It was fantastic to be able to showcase some of their work, which is amongst some of the UK’s leading scientific and clinical research, and their efforts to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured.”
To find out more about how to support Cancer Research UK, please visit: cruk.org
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